The Way Fads Work

I was having a nostalgic moment the other day, recalling lots of things that no longer are around. The list was quite long and included such things as Lava Lamps, Nehru Suits, transistor radios, rotary dial telephones (and telephone booths), drive-in movies, American Bandstand, the Mickey Mouse Club and so much more.

We used to call these things fads, a reflection of the culture of the time. And every decade had it’s own signature fads often driven by changes or improvements in how we did things.

My parents drove cars without air conditioning and with a stick shift. Except for a small percentage, most drivers today wouldn’t be comfortable with a stick shift.

Music follows similar patterns.  My parents were horrified by Rock and Roll and today I cannot adapt to Rap Music or whatever the latest trend might be.

My friend Harry owned a musical instrument store, the Denver Folklore Center, from 1962 until just a couple of years ago.  He told me about how important these cultural trends or fads were to his business.  When the movie “Deliverance” came out in 1972 the banjo took on new popularity.  Similarly, “Oh Brother Where Art Thou” not only exposed a new side to the lead actor, George Clooney, it also started a run on bluegrass-style guitars.

The store today stocks lots of ukuleles because of Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, the rather large Hawaiian singer who’s version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow made lots of playlists and was featured in the Adam Sandler movie, “50 First Dates.”  Of course, acoustic guitars like the beautiful Collings OM2H T traditional series sell consistently since the popularity of acoustic guitars started many decades ago.

And because Jon Batiste plays a Melodica on late night television, the Folklore Center keeps plenty in stock.

One last thought – how did we get from a cell phone the size of a shoe to one the that fits in my pocket?  And is the Apple Watch what Dick Tracey wore so many decades ago?

I suppose what goes around comes back around – in some fashion.